Oct 14, 2011

Every Good Move Deserves a Housewarming

Moving into a new house can be a time consuming process of settling your removalist fees, unpacking boxes, reconnecting your utilities, updating your home insurance policy and redecorating. But before you get lost in all the drudgery, don’t forget that it’s also an excellent excuse to throw a big bash. Yes that’s right, a housewarming party!

A housewarming party is a great opportunity to celebrate moving into your new place with family and friends. Some people will be inclined to wait until they have the house in picture perfect condition, while others will be happier to hold it sooner rather than later, relying on the laurels of, “We only just moved in”.

While you can rest on these laurels, it is important to ensure that your house is fairly presentable and clean. Yes, this means putting all of your furniture in its intended space and moving any unpacked boxes to one room.

Getting a guest list together is the first step to organising your party. Because housewarmings are typically informal occasions, you’ll find that your guests will often arrive with a partner, friend or family member in tow. The good thing is you won’t really need to worry about seating or catering too much because guests will be too busy taking tours of your new place to really concentrate on where to sit or what to eat.

While you are throwing the doors open to your friends and family, why not get your new neighbours around? It’s a great way to get to know them.

In this day and age, there are plenty of ways to spread the word that you are having a bash. You can do this digitally over a social networking site like Facebook or email; or more traditionally with printed invitations sent by good old snail mail. Whichever way you choose, make sure you get a little creative and incorporate photos of you and your family in the new place and include a map plus helpful driving instructions.

Some people prefer to be extra organised and allocate a start and finish time for their housewarming, while others are more flexible and happy to open up their doors to the ‘world’ for a whole afternoon and evening. This is your party so choose whatever format you are happy with.

If you choose to have a relaxed open door policy to your party, you should choose food and drink that will withstand the elements and still look appetizing for guests that drop in late. Because you have just moved in and are still getting use to the appliances in the new house, this is not the time to be experimenting with tricky oven baked goods so swap the show-stopping recipes for some simple crowd pleasers. Think antipastos, cheese and crackers, chips and dips and mini quiches or better yet, if it’s a sunny day, bring on the BBQ.

When it comes to drinks, you need to be well-stocked with all the faves - think beer, wine, champagne and soft drink. If the oldies are coming along it’s also a good idea to have coffee and tea available.

While decorations are generally kept to a minimum at housewarming parties, some leave a guest book out so that their guests can leave fond messages. It’s a great conversation starter and a fantastic way to document your event. You can buy a traditional guest book from a department store or the alike or opt for a plain scrapbook – either way, it’s a nice touch.